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(Reuters) – A recently discovered comet that explodes in the orbit of Mars has prompted scientists to investigate whether it came from outside the solar system, a possibility that could make it the second stellar object detected in the solar system.
Astronomer Gennady Borisov of Crimea saw the trajectory of the comet, following a very curved trajectory and heading in the direction of the sun at a very high speed, a sign that its origin is outside the solar system.
"Our team here at the University of Hawaii has been striving to record observations to take site measurements," said Karen Mitch, astronomer at the University of Hawaii. Hawaii, whose team discovered that the size of its body and invasive tail were a comet.
"Whenever a new comet is discovered, everyone starts trying to get data to identify the orbit," she told Reuters, adding that his entire team was "100% convinced that this is true and honest from the outside of the solar system".
The comet, a mixture of ice and dust, is expected to reach its nearest point of the sun on December 8, 300 million kilometers from Earth, on a path supposed to be limited to objects in the astral space.
Once it has been confirmed that the comet came from outside the solar system, it would become the second object of this type ever observed by scientists. Scientists call it C / 2019 Q4.
The first cigar-shaped comet, dubbed "umwama", has ventured into the solar system in 2017, prompting to think that it could be a spaceship . The scientists quickly reached a consensus that this prognosis is false.
Unlike Umwama, who visited the solar system for just one week, the newly discovered comet will remain near the orbit of Mars for about a year, which will give scientists enough time to determine its chemical properties and search for more evidence of its origin.
"The high speed not only indicates that the body is probably coming from our solar system, but also that it will return to the space of astronauts," said David Farnukia, astronomer at NASA in California.
(Prepared by Dina Adel for the Arab Bulletin – Edited by Lilian Wajdi)
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